The NBA Draft is always a strange night. For some players it's the end of a very long road; for others, barely the first real step. Promises, bets, nerves, families waiting, franchises doing the math until the last second… and this year, with several Spanish names firmly in the conversation. Piratas del Basket will be present in Brooklyn at Barclays Center to tell you everything firsthand
Aday Mara, Sergio de Larrea and Baba Miller arrive at the 2026 Draft at different moments, with very different profiles and also with unequal expectations. But the three share something important: they are no longer just future projects for Spanish basketball. They are at the gates of the NBA.
The name that will make the most noise, barring a surprise, will be Aday Mara. The Zaragoza center has been growing throughout the season, positioning himself as one of the most interesting big men of his generation. His size has always been the first thing that catches attention, but reducing it to that would be selling him short. Mara intimidates, alters shots, plays above the rim and, above all, understands quite well what's happening around him.
At Michigan he has found a context that has helped him show more maturity. Not perfect, because he still has work to do, but more prepared. The NBA looks a lot at the ceiling of players, and Mara's is evident. In a league that once again values big men capable of controlling games, his candidacy makes all the sense.
His name is moving in the upper part of the Draft. Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors or Oklahoma City Thunder appear as possible destinations, though at this point it's well known that on a night like this one call is enough to change everything. The Dallas case has a special point because of the presence of Dusty May, who already knows what Mara can give him and also what he still needs to work on.
Sergio de Larrea arrives by another route. His season has been difficult to read. He started very high, lost playing time during some stretches and reappeared when the season really tightened. That also speaks to who he is. Not everything has been a straight line, but he has managed to stay on the map.
NBA teams are intrigued by his profile. A tall point guard with good court vision, capable of playing with pace and with experience in a demanding environment like Valencia Basket. That's no small thing. De Larrea doesn't arrive from a minor showcase, but from games where every possession counts and where minutes aren't given away for potential.
For much of the process he seemed closer to the second round, but his name has been gaining strength. The first round no longer sounds impossible. It could depend on a franchise that wants to invest in a different floor general, with size and room to grow.
Baba Miller, for his part, is perhaps the easiest profile to imagine in today's NBA. Long, mobile, with arms to bother on defense and with room to keep growing on offense. His season at Cincinnati didn't have the collective reward of March Madness, but it did serve him to show useful things to scouts.
With Baba, the key word is fit. He doesn't need to be a star from day one to be interesting. He can defend, run the floor, play multiple positions and keep polishing his shot. That type of player always finds looks in the Draft, especially in the latter part of the first round or at the start of the second.
Sacramento Kings appears as one of the teams paying attention to his situation, though his range can move quite a bit depending on how the night progresses. In those spots, concrete needs often weigh as much as a franchise's confidence in developing the player.
Spanish basketball arrives at the 2026 Draft with reasons to stay tuned late into the night. Mara starts as the main draw, De Larrea is looking to sneak into the top thirty and Baba Miller hopes to find the right team to start his journey.
It won't be an ordinary night. It's possible not everyone will land where they expect, there may be nerves and some waits longer than desired. But having three Spaniards at this point already says quite a bit. The new generation is here. And now it's up to the NBA to decide where each story begins.